U.S. patent application number 13/234505 was filed with the patent office on 2013-03-21 for powered bottle opening device with integrated wrapper cutter.
This patent application is currently assigned to BROOKSTONE PURCHASING, INC.. The applicant listed for this patent is Stephen B. Mills, Stevenson Tom. Invention is credited to Stephen B. Mills, Stevenson Tom.
Application Number | 20130068070 13/234505 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 47879381 |
Filed Date | 2013-03-21 |
United States Patent
Application |
20130068070 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Mills; Stephen B. ; et
al. |
March 21, 2013 |
POWERED BOTTLE OPENING DEVICE WITH INTEGRATED WRAPPER CUTTER
Abstract
The present disclosure provides a bottle opening device
comprising first and second receptacles to receive at least a
portion of a neck of a bottle, with the first receptacle including
a wrapper cutting apparatus having at least one cutting element
configured to cut a sever in a wrapper on the neck of the bottle,
wherein the cutting element is movable towards and away from the
wrapper on the neck of the bottle, and the second receptacle
including a stopper extractor apparatus configured to remove a
stopper from the bottle.
Inventors: |
Mills; Stephen B.;
(Atkinson, NH) ; Tom; Stevenson; (Nashua,
NH) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Mills; Stephen B.
Tom; Stevenson |
Atkinson
Nashua |
NH
NH |
US
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
BROOKSTONE PURCHASING, INC.
Merrimack
NH
|
Family ID: |
47879381 |
Appl. No.: |
13/234505 |
Filed: |
September 16, 2011 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
81/3.09 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B67B 7/04 20130101; B67B
7/0405 20130101; B67B 2007/0458 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
81/3.09 |
International
Class: |
B67B 7/44 20060101
B67B007/44 |
Claims
1. A bottle opening device comprising: a housing; first and second
receptacles in the housing to receive at least a portion of a neck
of a bottle, the first receptacle having a first receptacle
longitudinal axis, and the second receptacle having a second
receptacle longitudinal axis; a wrapper cutting apparatus located
in the first receptacle, the wrapper cutting apparatus having at
least one cutting element configured to form a sever in a wrapper
on the neck of the bottle, and wherein the cutting element moves
towards the first receptacle longitudinal axis when a movable
member moves in a first direction along the first receptacle
longitudinal axis towards a retracted position in the first
receptacle and the cutting element moves away from the first
receptacle longitudinal axis when the movable member moves in a
second direction along the first receptacle longitudinal axis
towards an extended position in the first receptacle, wherein the
second direction is opposite the first direction; a stopper
extractor apparatus located in the second receptacle, the stopper
extractor apparatus configured to remove a stopper from the bottle
by capturing the stopper on an auger when the auger is rotated in a
first direction; and a power source to provide power to the
auger.
2. The device of claim 1 further comprising: a spring arranged to
provide a bias force against the movable member being moved towards
the retracted position.
3. The device of claim 2 further comprising: a stationary member
that is capable of receiving and operably cooperates with the
movable member, wherein the spring is located between the movable
member and the stationary member.
4. The device of claim 1 wherein: the cutting element is configured
to form a sever when the bottle is received in the first receptacle
and rotated about the first receptacle longitudinal axis.
5. The device of claim 1 wherein: the cutting element is at least
partially concealed within the first receptacle as the movable
member moves toward the extended position.
6. The device of claim 1 wherein: the cutting element is at least
partially concealed within the first receptacle by a cover.
7. The device of claim 1 wherein: the cutting element is
positionable so as to contact the wrapper as the movable member
moves towards the retracted position and is positionable so as not
to contact the wrapper as the movable member moves towards the
extended position.
8. The device of claim 1 wherein: the cutting element is carried by
the movable member.
9. The device of claim 1 wherein: the cutting element is located on
a cutter support on the movable member; and the cutter support is
configured to move the cutting element with respect to the first
receptacle longitudinal axis.
10. The device of claim 9 wherein: the cutter support is movable
towards the first receptacle longitudinal axis when the movable
member moves towards the retracted position in the first receptacle
and movable away from the first receptacle longitudinal axis when
the movable member moves towards an extended position in the first
receptacle.
11. The device of claim 10 wherein: when the movable member moves
towards the retracted position in the first receptacle, the cutter
support is moved towards the first receptacle longitudinal axis by
contact with an abutting structure in the first receptacle.
12. The device of claim 11 wherein: the cutter support moves
towards the first receptacle longitudinal axis when the movable
member moves towards the retracted position in the first receptacle
by contact between a wedge shaped section of the cutter support and
the abutting structure in the first receptacle.
13. The device of claim 1 wherein: the cutting element is
circular.
14. The device of claim 1 wherein: the cutting element is
replaceable.
15. The device of claim 1 wherein: the at least one cutting element
comprises a plurality of cutting elements spaced around periphery
of the movable member.
16. The device of claim 1 further comprising: an elongated body
comprising a top portion and a bottom portion; the first receptacle
being located in a top portion of the elongated body; and the
second receptacle being located in a bottom portion of the
elongated body.
17. The device of claim 1 wherein: the stopper extractor apparatus
is further configured to remove the stopper from the auger when the
auger is rotated in a second direction opposite the first
direction.
18. The device of claim 1 wherein: the power source is a
battery.
19. The device of claim 1 further comprising: an elongated body
having a bottom portion, wherein the first and second receptacles
are located in the elongated body; and a recharging base including
a receiving section and at least two electrical contacts, wherein
the electrical contacts of the recharging base are capable of
mating with at least two electrical contacts located in the bottom
portion of the elongated body when the bottom portion of the
elongated body is inserted into the receiving section of the
rechargeable base.
20. The device of claim 1 further comprising: a switch configured
to activate the auger.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present disclosure is directed to bottle opening
devices, and more particularly to a bottle opening device with an
integrated wrapper cutter.
BACKGROUND
[0002] The opening of a bottle may be closed with a bottle closure
to preserve the contents therein. For example, the opening of a
wine bottle may be closed with a resilient wine stopper, such as a
cork, to preserve the wine therein. Wine and other bottle stoppers
may be made of cork from the lightweight elastic outer bark of the
cork oak, as well as other materials, such as plastic or rubber,
that suitably form a seal with the bottle opening when used as a
stopper.
[0003] The wine stopper may be positioned and compressed within the
opening at the neck of the wine bottle to form a leak proof seal
with the walls of the bottle. The wine stopper may not only prevent
the wine from escaping from the bottle, but may also protect the
wine from the surrounding conditions. For example, the favorable
characteristics of wine may be negatively impacted by exposure to
the elements of the surrounding environment, such as air. As such,
it is advantageous to maintain the seal created between the bottle
and the stopper.
[0004] The seal created between the bottle and stopper at the
bottle opening may also be affected by the surrounding conditions.
In particular, cork may be susceptible to drying, which may reduce
the resiliency thereof, and cause the seal to fail. To better
protect the cork from exposure to surrounding conditions, the neck
of the wine bottle, with the cork positioned therein, may be
covered with a wrapper. The material for the wrapper may be a metal
foil or other material that is durable and helps keep the cork from
drying or other damage. The wrapper may also protect the top of the
bottle from damage, such as chipping. In addition to its protective
function, the wrapper can also be used to add aesthetic appeal to
the bottle.
[0005] When a bottle stopper, such as a cork, may be used in
combination with a protective wrapper, opening the bottle may
necessarily be performed in two steps. For example, the wrapper may
first be removed, and thereafter the bottle stopper may be
extracted from the bottle. A knife or a tool employing a blade may
be used to cut the wrapper on the neck of the bottle. Then, a
second tool, usually equipped with a spiral-shaped screw, which may
be referred to as a corkscrew, may be used to manually capture the
bottle stopper and manually pull the bottle stopper from the bottle
opening. This technique of opening a bottle, such as a wine bottle,
has the disadvantage of requiring two separate tools, such as a
knife and a corkscrew.
[0006] Furthermore, the tools that may be employed to remove the
wrapper and stopper as set forth above may be difficult to use. For
example, in order to better function, the wrapper around the neck
of the bottle may be relatively thick, and thus, the wrapper may be
difficult to cut with a blade such as provided by a knife. In
addition, a corkscrew may be difficult to manipulate. The user may
have to manually rotate the corkscrew into the cork, involving the
difficult task of applying enough force to cause penetration while
keeping the corkscrew properly aligned with the center of the cork.
Assuming the corkscrew is properly aligned and securely positioned
in the cork, the user may then exert additional force to extract
the cork, which may require the awkward task of positioning the
bottle to gain proper leverage. If the corkscrew is not properly
aligned or securely positioned in the cork, or the bottle may not
be positioned to gain proper leverage to extract the cork, the
result of these efforts may be a failure to successfully extract
the cork.
[0007] While devices may have been developed to improve either the
removal of the wrapper from the neck of the bottle or the
extraction of the cork, such improvements still appear to suffer
from significant disadvantages. In particular, like the bottle
opening technique described above, these improvements may still
require the user to utilize multiple devices with a varying range
of motions to open a bottle.
SUMMARY
[0008] In view of the foregoing, a need exists for a more
user-friendly device which integrates functionality for removing
the wrapper surrounding the neck of a bottle and for extracting a
bottle stopper from the bottle, which may reduce the amount of
manual effort and motion required of the user to perform and
achieve such tasks. Accordingly, the present disclosure provides a
bottle opening device that removes the wrapper and automatically
extracts the bottle stopper from the bottle by integrating a
wrapper cutter with a simple-to-use bottle stopper extractor to
overcome the aforementioned difficulties of the art.
[0009] In an exemplary embodiment, the present disclosure provides
a bottle opening device comprising first and second receptacles
configured to receive a neck of a bottle. The first receptacle may
have a first receptacle longitudinal axis and include a wrapper
cutting apparatus having at least one cutting element configured to
form a sever in a wrapper on the neck of the bottle. The cutting
element may be movable towards the first receptacle longitudinal
axis when a movable member moves in a first direction along the
first receptacle longitudinal axis towards a retracted position in
the first receptacle, and the cutting element may be movable away
from the first receptacle longitudinal axis when the movable member
moves in a second direction along the first receptacle longitudinal
axis towards an extended position in the first receptacle, wherein
the second direction is opposite the first direction.
[0010] The bottle opening device may include a spring arranged to
provide a bias force against the movable member in the first
receptacle being moved towards the retracted position. The spring
may be located in the first receptacle between the movable member
that engages a top end of the bottle and a stationary member that
receives and operably cooperates with the movable member.
[0011] The cutting element may be configured to form a sever in a
shape of a ring when the bottle is received in the first receptacle
and rotated about the first receptacle longitudinal axis in either
a clockwise or a counter-clockwise direction. The cutting element
may be at least partially concealed in the first receptacle when
the movable member is not in the retracted position. The cutting
element may be at least partially concealed in the first receptacle
by a cover.
[0012] The cutting element may be positionable so as to contact the
wrapper when the movable member is moved in the first direction
along the first receptacle longitudinal axis towards the retracted
position in the first receptacle and positionable so as not to
contact the wrapper when the movable member is moved in the second
direction (opposite the first direction) along the first receptacle
longitudinal axis towards the extended position in the first
receptacle.
[0013] The cutting element may be carried by the movable member,
and more particularly located on a cutter support of the movable
member. The cutter support may be configured to move the cutting
element. The cutter support may be movable towards the first
receptacle longitudinal axis when the movable member is moved in
the first direction along the first receptacle longitudinal axis
towards the retracted position in the first receptacle and movable
away from the first receptacle longitudinal axis when the movable
member is moved in the second direction (opposite the first
direction) along the first receptacle longitudinal axis towards an
extended position in the first receptacle. The cutter support may
be movable towards the first receptacle longitudinal axis when the
movable member is moved in the first direction along the first
receptacle longitudinal axis towards the retracted position in the
first receptacle by contact with an abutting structure, wherein for
one exemplary embodiment a wedge shaped section of the cutter
support comes in contact with the abutting structure in a
surrounding wall of the stationary member.
[0014] A second receptacle may have a second receptacle
longitudinal axis and include a stopper extractor apparatus
configured to extract a stopper from the bottle by capturing the
stopper on an auger when the auger rotates in a first direction.
The stopper extractor apparatus further configured to remove the
stopper from the auger and a stopper holder when the auger rotates
in a second direction, opposite of the first direction. The bottle
opening device may further comprise a power source to provide power
to the auger so that the auger may rotate is both clockwise and
counter-clockwise directions.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] These and other features and advantages of the present
disclosure will be better understood and become more apparent by
reading the following detailed description of the present
disclosure, when viewed in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings wherein:
[0016] FIG. 1 is an exemplary bottle which may be opened with an
exemplary bottle opening device according to the present
disclosure;
[0017] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an exemplary bottle opening
device according to the present disclosure;
[0018] FIG. 3 is a front view of the exemplary bottle opening
device of FIG. 2;
[0019] FIG. 4 is a side view of the exemplary bottle opening device
of FIG. 2;
[0020] FIG. 5 is a side view of the exemplary bottle opening device
of FIG. 2 with the outer housing removed;
[0021] FIG. 6 is an enlarged, exploded perspective view of a
wrapper cutting apparatus of the exemplary bottle opening device of
FIG. 2;
[0022] FIG. 7 is an enlarged perspective front view of an
alternative wrapper cutting apparatus of the exemplary bottle
opening device of FIG. 2;
[0023] FIG. 8 is an enlarged perspective rear view of an
alternative wrapper cutting apparatus of the exemplary bottle
opening device of FIG. 2;
[0024] FIG. 9 is a bottom view of the exemplary bottle opening
device of FIG. 2;
[0025] FIG. 10 is an enlarged perspective view of a stopper
extractor apparatus of the exemplary bottle opening device of FIG.
2; and
[0026] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a recharging base to be
used with the exemplary bottle opening device of FIG. 2.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0027] The present disclosure is not limited in its application to
the details of construction and the arrangement of components set
forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings.
The invention(s) herein may be capable of other embodiments and of
being practiced or being carried out in various ways. Also, the
phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of
description and should not be regarded as limiting as such may be
understood by one of skill in the art.
[0028] FIG. 1 illustrates the details of a bottle 10, such as a
wine bottle, which may be opened with a bottle opening device 100
of the present disclosure. The bottle 10 has an opening 20 which
may be closed by a bottle closure 30 comprising a stopper 40, such
as a cork and a wrapper 50. The opening 20 is positioned at a top
end 22 of the bottle 10. The bottle 10 may include an elongated,
cylindrical neck 16 that extends upwardly from a main body 12 of
the bottle 10. The stopper 40 may have a cylindrical or
frustoconical shape that is positioned within and forms a seal with
the cylindrical walls 18 of the neck 16 of the bottle 10. The
stopper 40 may prevent the contents of the bottle 10 from escaping
through the opening 20 and/or from being exposed to the conditions
of the environment outside the bottle 10. In addition, the opening
20 that is closed by the stopper 40 may be further covered with the
wrapper 50 overlying the neck 16 of the bottle 10. The wrapper 50
may be made from a suitable material such as foil, paper, or
plastic and may help protect the stopper 40 and the seal it forms
with the bottle 10. As discussed herein, the stopper 40 may be
inserted and extracted from the opening 20 of the bottle 10.
[0029] Illustrating an exemplary embodiment of the present
invention, FIG. 2 shows an electrically powered, and more
particularly a rechargeable, bottle opening device 100 which can be
used to remove a bottle closure 30 from a bottle, such as the
wrapper 50 and stopper 40 from the bottle 10 of FIG. 1. It should
be understood that, although the embodiments described herein may
be described with respect to opening a bottle, the present
disclosure may be used to open other types of containers.
[0030] As shown, the bottle opening device 100 may comprise first
and second receptacles 200 and 300, respectively, which may each be
configured to receive the bottle 10, and more particularly at least
portions of the neck 16 thereof. As discussed in greater detail
below, the first receptacle 200 may include a wrapper cutting
apparatus, and the second receptacle 300 may include a stopper
extractor apparatus.
[0031] As shown in FIGS. 2-4, the bottle opening device 100 may
have an elongated, arcuate main housing body 102 comprising a
bottom portion 104 and a top portion 108 that may be narrower than
the bottom portion 104. Bottom portion 104, which may terminate in
a planar bottom surface 106, may be wider than the top portion 108
to help inhibit the device 100 from being easily tipped onto its
side. The top portion 108 may be rounded or configured to fit
comfortably within the palm of most users' hands.
[0032] Referring now to FIG. 5, the outer housing of bottle opening
device 100 has been removed to expose the internal components
thereof. As shown in FIG. 5, a wrapper cutting apparatus 206 may be
located within the first receptacle 200 shown in FIG. 2. The
wrapper cutting apparatus 206 may be particularly configured to
sever the wrapper 50 on the neck 16 of the bottle 10 (shown in FIG.
1) in a ring. In the preferred embodiment, the cutting apparatus
206 may be configured to form a sever 48 (shown in FIG. 1) in the
wrapper 50 in a shape of a 360 degree ring.
[0033] As shown in FIG. 6, the wrapper cutting apparatus 206 may
include at least one cutting element 214 that may be circular or
otherwise suitably shaped. The at least one cutting element 214 may
be configured to be movable radially towards a first receptacle
longitudinal axis 212 when a movable member 216 is moved axially
towards a retracted position 220 in the first receptacle 200 and to
be movable radially away from the first receptacle longitudinal
axis 212 when the movable member 216 is moved axially towards an
extended position 222 in the first receptacle 200. The movable
member 216 may be made by plastic injection molding or may be made
of any suitable polymer, such as, for example polyoxymethylene,
polyacetal, polyformaldehyde, polycarbonate, polypropylene, or
acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene.
[0034] As shown, a plurality of cutting elements 214 may be spaced
around the first receptacle longitudinal axis 212, wherein in the
preferred embodiment, the plurality of cutting elements 214 are
equally spaced around the periphery of the movable member 216. The
at least one cutting element 214 may be operable so as to radially
contract into contact with the wrapper 50 on the neck 16 of the
bottle 10 when the movable member 216 moves towards or is in the
retracted position 220 in the first receptacle 200 by applying
sufficient force such as pressing the top end 22 of the bottle 10
against the movable member 216 in the first receptacle 200. At this
time, the at least one cutting element 214 may be configured to
form sever 48 in a shape of a ring when the bottle 10 is received
into the first receptacle 200 and rotated about the first
receptacle longitudinal axis 212 in either a clockwise or a
counter-clockwise direction. The at least one cutting element 214
may also be operable so as to radially expand out of contact with
the wrapper 50 when the movable member 216 moves towards or is in
the extended position 222. In the foregoing manner, bottles with
different neck sizes may be accommodated for use with the wrapper
cutting apparatus 206.
[0035] Turning briefly to FIG. 9, an outer cover 250 may at least
partially conceal the at least one cutting element 214 in the first
receptacle 200 when the movable member 216 of the first receptacle
200 is in the extended position 222 (shown in FIG. 6). The outer
cover 250 may be removable with screws, plastic snap tabs, or other
suitable fasteners; whereby, the movable member 216 or cutting
elements 214 may be removed from the bottle opening device 100 to
service cutting elements 214 which may become dull after repeated
use thereof.
[0036] Returning to FIG. 6, the movable member 216 may include a
bottle engagement section 226, which may be arranged substantially
perpendicular to the first receptacle longitudinal axis 212 and
configured to engage the top end 22 of the bottle 10. As shown in
the preferred embodiment, the bottle engagement section 226 is
circular but may be alternatively shaped. The at least one cutting
element 214 may be supported on a cutter support 230 located on the
movable member 216; whereby, the cutter support 230 may be
substantially parallel to the first receptacle longitudinal axis
212 and perpendicular to the bottle engagement section 226. Cutter
support 230 may be connected to the bottle engagement section 226
by a hinge 232, wherein in one preferred embodiment, the hinge is
an integral hinge (shown in FIG. 6) and another preferred
embodiment is a barrel hinge (shown in FIG. 8).
[0037] The movable member 216 may be arranged coaxially within a
stationary member 236 and configured to slide within the stationary
member 236. In its extended position 222, the movable member 216 is
extended towards a first opening 202 (shown in FIG. 9) of the first
receptacle 200 by a decompression force of a cutter spring 240
arranged to provide a bias (compression) force opposing the movable
member 216 being moved towards the retracted position 220. In the
present embodiment, the cutter spring 240 is a compression spring
but may also be a cantilever or other suitable type of spring. The
cutter spring 240 may be located between a rear side 242 of the
movable member 216 and a front side 244 of the stationary member
236. The front side 244 of the stationary member 236 may include a
containment channel 246 in which to locate and seat the cutter
spring 240.
[0038] The movable member 216 may travel towards the first opening
202 of the first receptacle 200 until a front edge 283 of the
movable member 216 makes contact and engages with at least one snap
tab 252 on the stationary member 236, which is preferably
cantilevered. The movable member 216 may be removed from the
confines of the stationary member 236 by deforming the at least one
cantilevered snap tab 252 of the stationary member 236 radially
away from the first receptacle longitudinal axis 212. A cutting
element 214 may be replaced with a new cutting element 214 as part
of a new movable member 216. Alternatively, after removal of the
outer cover 250 (shown in FIG. 9), a cutting element 214 may be
replaced, by being removed from movable member 216 by the removal
of fastener 260, preferably a threaded fastener (e.g. screw) or
plastic snap tab, then being replaced with a new cutting element
214 followed by the replacement of the outer cover 250.
[0039] When the bottle 10 is placed into the first receptacle 200
with a force sufficient such to overcome the compression force of
the cutter spring 240, the movable member 216 will begin to retract
into the first receptacle 200. At the same time as the axial
displacement is occurring, the at least one cutter support 230 is
configured to move with radial displacement towards the first
receptacle longitudinal axis 212. More particularly, while the
movable member 216 moves towards the retracted position 220 in the
first receptacle 200, the at least one cutter support 230 may
simultaneously move towards the first receptacle longitudinal axis
212 due to contact between the at least one cutter support 230 and
an abutting structure.
[0040] Even more particularly, the cutter support 230 may pivot
with elastic strain, particularly along hinge 232, which in the
present embodiment is an integral hinge, so that the cutter element
214 may simultaneously move towards the first receptacle
longitudinal axis 212 due to contact of a wedge shaped section 266
of the cutter support 230 with an abutting structure provided by a
surrounding wall 270 of the stationary member 236. In the foregoing
manner, as the wedge shaped section 266 extends into greater
overlap with the surrounding wall 270, the cutter support 230 may
pivot towards the first receptacle longitudinal axis 212 until the
cutting member 214 carried thereby makes contact with the wrapper
50 of bottle 10.
[0041] As shown in FIG. 6, the wedge shaped section 266 may extend
up a side and along a length of the cutter support 230, with the
wedge shaped section increasing in size as it approaches the top of
the cutter support 230 and farthest away from the bottle engagement
section 226. Thus, cutter supports 230 are configured to move the
cutting elements 214, which may be supported at the top of the
cutter supports 230 and attached thereto by fasteners 260.
[0042] Alternatively, when the bottle 10 is being or is removed
from the first receptacle 200, the decompression force of the
cutter spring 240 forces the movable member 216 towards its
extended position 222, and cutter supports 230 may pivot and
simultaneously move away from the first receptacle longitudinal
axis 212, particularly along the hinge 232 in response to a release
of the elastic strain previously induced in hinge 232.
[0043] The movable member 216 and the stationary member 236 may
further include longitudinally orientated mating portions to
inhibit the movable member 216 and the stationary member 236 from
rotating relative to one another around the first receptacle
longitudinal axis 212. More particularly, the movable member may
include a semi-circular key 280 which is configured to mate with a
semicircular keyway recess 282 in the stationary member 236.
[0044] In an alternative embodiment, the stationary member 236 may
be provided as an integral part of housing body 102, such as being
molded therewith as a single piece (unitary/monolithic) plastic
molding, which may reduce the number of components of bottle
opening device 100. In such instance, it should be understood that
all the features of the separate stationary member 236 may be
integrated into housing body 102. Also, in another embodiment, the
travel of the movable member 216 towards the first opening may be
limited by outer cover 250, thus eliminating a need for the snap
tabs 252 of the stationary member 236.
[0045] In another alternative embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 7 and
8, a cutter support 230 and hinge 232 may be separate distinct
pieces from the bottle engagement section 226 of the movable member
216. The cutter support 230 may operate similar as in the prior
embodiment, however, rather than utilizing a hinge 232 with elastic
strain and recovery to facilitate movement of the cutter support
230, a hinge 232 with a pivot pin 234 may be used. As shown in
FIGS. 7 and 8, the hinge 232, which in the present embodiment is a
barrel hinge, comprises a pivot pin 234, which extends through a
barrel 235 formed in the cutter support 230 and is connected at
each end thereof to the movable member 216.
[0046] Similar to the prior embodiment, simultaneous with a cutter
spring 240 being compressed as a movable member 216 is moved
towards a retracted position 220, a plurality of cutter supports
230 may move towards a first receptacle longitudinal axis 212 in a
first receptacle 200 through contact between a plurality of wedge
shaped sections 266 on the cutter supports 230 and abutting
structures provided by a surrounding wall 270 of a stationary
member 236.
[0047] Thereafter, when the bottle 10 is being or is removed from
the first receptacle 200, the decompression force of the cutter
spring 240 forces the movable member 216 towards its extended
position 222, and the cutter supports 230 may simultaneously move
away from the first receptacle longitudinal axis 212 by force of
the cutter spring 240.
[0048] After the wrapper 50 on the bottle 10 has been severed, at
least the top of the wrapper 50 may be removed to expose the
stopper 40. The bottle 10 may now be transferred to the second
receptacle 300 to extract the stopper 40. As shown in FIG. 2, the
second receptacle 300 may be accessed through a planar bottom
surface 106 of the bottle opening device 100.
[0049] Referring now to FIGS. 5, 9, and 10, the stopper extractor
apparatus 310 may be located within the second receptacle 300 and
configured to extract the stopper 40 from the bottle 10 by
capturing the stopper 40 on an auger 314 when the auger 314 is
rotated in a first direction.
[0050] As shown in FIG. 5, the stopper extractor apparatus 310 may
include a power delivery assembly 318 to rotate the auger 314 in a
first direction to extract the stopper 40 from the opening 20 of
the bottle 10 and in a second direction to remove the stopper 40
from the auger 314. The power delivery apparatus 318 may comprise a
power source 321, an electric motor 323, a gear box 324, and a
switch 326 to activate and rotate the auger 314 in both clockwise
and counter-clockwise directions. Wiring may electrically couple
the electric motor 323 to the power source 321 and to the switch
326 for user control of the electric motor 323.
[0051] The electric motor 323 may be any type of motor capable of
imparting rotation to the auger 314 with sufficient torque to
remove the stopper 40 from the bottle 10. More particularly, in one
embodiment, the electric motor 323 may be a 3.7 volt reversible DC
motor designed for relatively high torque operation while drawing a
current below maximum amounts of current deliverable from the power
source 321.
[0052] In one embodiment, the power source 321 may comprise a set
of 3.6 volt DC alkaline, nickel-cadmium (NiCd) or nickel-metal
hydride (NiMH) batteries having a battery size designation of
3.times.AA. However, any power source delivering electric power at
the appropriate voltage and current levels may be used. Preferably,
the power source 321 is of a rechargeable type.
[0053] The gear box 324 may include a gear reduction system coupled
to the auger 314. This gear reduction system may decrease speed and
increase torque delivered by the electric motor 323. The gears in
the gear reduction system may be of a planetary type to reduce the
amount of space devoted to gear reduction.
[0054] In one embodiment, the switch 326 may comprise a rocker
switch configured such that when depressed on one end thereof the
auger 314 rotates in the first direction to remove the stopper 40
from the bottle 10, and when depressed on the opposite end thereof
the auger 314 rotates in the second direction, being opposite the
first direction, to remove the stopper 40 from a stopper holder 332
in the stopper extractor apparatus 310. When the switch 326 is not
depressed on either end, the switch 326 will default to a center or
off position.
[0055] As best shown in FIGS. 5 and 10, the stopper holder 332 of
the stopper extractor apparatus 310 may be located within the
second receptacle 300 of the bottle opening device 100 and may be
slidable within the bottom portion 104 of the bottle opening device
100 (shown in FIG. 2). The stopper holder 332 may include a
receiving channel 334 configured to receive the stopper 40 therein,
as well as a plurality of ribs 336 oriented towards a second
receptacle longitudinal axis 306 in the second receptacle 300 and
extending along a length of the receiving channel 334. The ribs 336
may be configured to frictionally engage with the stopper 40. An
opener spring 340 may be located between an end of a power delivery
apparatus 318 and the stopper holder 332 to provide a decompression
force which forces the stopper holder 332 towards an extended
position 322 in proximity to the planar bottom surface 106 of the
bottle opening device 100 (shown in FIG. 2), as well as to provide
a bias force against the stopper holder 332 being moved towards a
retracted position 320 along the second receptacle longitudinal
axis 306. The opener spring 340 may be a compression, cantilever,
or other suitable type of spring. The stopper holder 332 may travel
towards the second opening 302 for the second receptacle 300 until
a shoulder 335 of the stopper holder 332 makes contact with a
shoulder 303 of the second receptacle 300 (shown in FIG. 9).
[0056] The stopper extractor apparatus 310 may be operated by a
single hand of the user by first placing the top end 22 of the
bottle 10 into contact with the shoulder 335 of the stopper holder
332, and thereafter into the second receptacle 300 by a force
sufficient to overcome the compression force of the opener spring
340. As a result of the applied force, the stopper holder 332 will
begin to retract axially from the extended position 322 towards the
retracted position 320 along the second receptacle longitudinal
axis 306 and into the second receptacle 300 until a distal end
portion of the auger 314 makes contact with the stopper 40. Next,
upon activating the auger 314, the neck 16 of the bottle 10 may be
drawn further into the second receptacle 300 due to increasing
engagement of the auger 314 with the stopper 40, during which time
the stopper holder 332 will continue to axially retract from the
extended position 322 towards the retracted position 320 along the
second receptacle longitudinal axis 306.
[0057] Thereafter, when the stopper holder 332 reaches retracted
position 320, the stopper 40 may then be drawn from the bottle 10
and into the receiving channel 334 of the stopper holder 332 with
continued activation of the auger 314, during which time the
stopper 40 is moved along the second receptacle longitudinal axis
306 into retracted position 320. The stopper 40 may then be removed
from the stopper holder 332 by reversing the operation of the
electric motor 323, via switch 326, so that the auger 314 rotates
in a second direction, opposite to the first direction.
[0058] It should be understood that the stopper holder 332 need not
be fully retracted to retracted position 320 before the stopper 40
may be drawn from the bottle 10. For example, if a bottle has a
relatively short neck 16, the main body 12 of the bottle 10 may
make contact with the portion of the shoulder 303 defining the
opening 302 of the second receptacle 300 before the stopper holder
332 reaches retracted position 320. However, regardless, the
interference between the bottle 10 and the portion of the shoulder
303 defining the opening 302 of the second receptacle 300 may now
hold the bottle 10 against any further movement towards retracted
position 320, thus enabling the auger 314 to now remove the stopper
40.
[0059] The exterior of stopper holder 332 and the second receptacle
300 may include a plurality of interlocking members 342 and 344,
respectively, (shown in FIG. 9) which extend longitudinally
parallel to the second receptacle longitudinal axis 306 and at
least a portion of the length of the second receptacle 300. The
interlocking members 342 and 344 inhibit the stopper holder 332
from rotating about the second receptacle longitudinal axis 306
particularly when the stopper extractor apparatus 310 is in the
process of removing the stopper 40 from the bottle 10. When the
stopper 40 is removed from the bottle 10 and the stopper holder 332
has been moved towards or is in the retracted position 320, the
interlocking members may disengage allowing the stopper holder 332
to rotate with further rotation of the auger 314. As the bottle 10
is removed from the second receptacle 300, the opener spring 340
may decompress, allowing the interlocking members 342 and 344 to
reengage with each other to inhibit rotation of the stopper holder
332 during removal of the stopper 40 from the stopper holder 332
and the auger 314.
[0060] As best shown in FIGS. 2, 9 and 11, in order to be
recharged, the bottle opening device 100 may have at least two
opener electrical contacts 331 in a planar bottom surface 106 of
the bottle opener device 100 to be used in conjunction with a
recharging base 328 configured with a receiving section 325 to
capture a bottom portion 104 of the bottle opening device 100. The
receiving section 325 of the recharging base 328 may include at
least two base electrical contacts 327 to charge the power source
321 in the bottle opening device 100 by mating with the opener
electrical contacts 331 and an electrical connector 329 configured
to connect with a mating connector and wiring (not shown) which
connects the recharging base 328 to 110 volt AC residential
voltage. The recharging base 328, the wiring, or an adapter
connected to the wiring may include a transformer to transform the
AC to DC current.
[0061] While the principles of the invention have been described
herein, it is to be understood by those skilled in the art that
this description is made only by way of example and not as a
limitation as to the scope of the invention. Other embodiments are
contemplated within the scope of the present invention in addition
to the exemplary embodiments shown and described herein.
Modifications and substitutions by one of ordinary skill in the art
are considered to be within the scope of the present invention,
which is not to be limited except by the following claims.
* * * * *